You only perform a RC in a moment of raised awareness. The RC is a tool, a yes/no "am I dreaming?" state check. It is a very valuable tool, but it is not the road to lucidity in and of itself. You won't perform the RC unless you're already thinking about your state, about whether or not you're dreaming. The key to lucidity is to cultivate a continual mindfulness/vigilance, a constant looking-out for the dream state. There are many ways there and a number of threads discussing the various ways.

Meditation is more or less considered universally excellent for lucid dreaming.

I recommend you read through and work on sivason's dream yoga exercises in the DV academy, they give you a large set of exercises to work on in between RCs that benefit your overall dreaming experience, and they will keep you busy for years if not more perfecting them.